Patents by Inventor William A. Clarkson

William A. Clarkson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20040076197
    Abstract: A Fibre-based optical source comprises a high power laser diode stack as a pump source, the output of which is shaped into an intense beam of elongate cross-section by use of focusing and light concentrating elements. The beam is used to cladding pump a fibre having an inner cladding also with elongate cross-section, to provide high efficiency pumping. To achieve high output powers with a good mode quality, an overall large core ara is provided by configuring the fibre to have a plurality of individual cores doped with active ions and arranged within the inner cladding in a linear array. Each individual core is configured for single mode operation, so that a plurality of single mode lasers outputs are generated, which can be combined to produce one single mode high power output. The source may also be configured as a laser or as an amplifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2003
    Publication date: April 22, 2004
    Inventors: William A. Clarkson, Duncan W.J. Harwood, Paul W. Turner
  • Patent number: 5222094
    Abstract: A ring laser (10) incorporates a laser rod (R) with end faces (R.sub.1, R.sub.2). The first face (R.sub.1) is coated for high reflectivity at the laser wavelength and the second (R.sub.2) for high transmission at this wavelength. The first face (R.sub.1) provides one cavity end mirror, and a concave mirror (M.sub.1) spaced apart from the rod (R) provides the other. A rhombic prism (P) between the rod (R) and mirror (M.sub.1) defines differing (figure of eight) forward and return paths (14 to 17, 18 to 21) for cavity radiation passing from one end mirror (R.sub.1 or M.sub.1) to the other and returning. The prism (P) presents Brewster's angle refracting surfaces. The second rod face (R.sub.2) is tilted to produce an optical path in two planes. A magnetic field (B) along the rod axis (R.sub.a) produces Faraday rotation of polarization. This counteracts rotation arising from non-coplanar optics for one direction of propagation around the laser cavity (10) but not the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1993
    Assignee: The Secretary of State for Defence in Her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
    Inventors: David C. Hanna, William A. Clarkson